INDIANAPOLIS — The Sky have suspended Angel Reese for the first half of their upcoming game against the Aces.
“Because of statements detrimental to the team made by Angel Reese during league-mandated media, she will not play in the first half of the game on September 7 against the Aces,” the team said in a statement.
Head coach Tyler Marsh called it a “top down” organizational decision and declined to share which of Reese’s comments were viewed as detrimental.
In a recent interview with Chicago Tribune, Reese voiced many concerns. She said she was not settling for another season like this one and called for various roster upgrades. She also questioned whether the Sky could attract top free agents and raised the possibility of leaving if things didn’t “pan out.”
The comments caught Marsh and her teammates off guard; they said she had not shared those concerns with them directly.
Veteran guard Ariel Atkins implied that the team supported the decision to suspend Reese.
“Ownership handled it how they see fit,” she told the Sun-Times at shootaround on Friday. “They have full support from our team.”
The team organized a players’ only meeting on Wednesday to address Reese’s comments, and Reese apologized. She said she didn’t intend to put down her teammates and “had to be better” in the future.
Reese was also suspended for Friday’s game against the Fever after she received her eighth technical foul of the season on Wednesday.